corning



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

F. G, GORNING. SAND BOX.

No. 451,456. Patented May 5, 1891.

ATTOR N EY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

.(No Model.)

F1 G. GORNING.

SAND BOX.

Patented May 5,1891.

MENTOR 7 m7 7 momma m /M w w "m5 nonm: Penis 00., Pnum-umm, WAsNmavOu,n. c.

UNITED STAT S I PATENT OFFICE FREDERICK G. CORNING, OF NEXY YORK, N. Y.

SAN D-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. t5l,456, dated May 5,1891- Application filed February 4, 1891.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK G. CORNING, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at the city, county, and State of New York,haveinvented certain new and'useful Improvements in Sand-Boxes, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for distributing sand upon street-railwaysor other tracks or surfaces automatically for the purpose of promotingtraction. The invention applies either to motor-driven street cars ormotors, or horse-cars requiring a sanded track to render the brakeseffectual.

The object of my invention is to secure a positive deliveryof the sandin a measured quantity, whether in a dry condition or in aslightly dampor partially frozen condition, as frequently incident to its use uponstreet-cars. Heretofore mechanical delivery has been effected by meansof devices acting in 'a common direction with the descent of the sand,having converging surfaces engaging with the sand, that move in thedirection in which they converge. The objectionable feature thus arisesthat any solid objects or caked por-' tions of the sand will becomejammed between the movable parts and render the machine inoperative.

My invention consists in a sand-box pro.- vided with a bladed Wheelbeneath the body of sand, rotating in a plane substantially at rightangles to the line .of force exerted by gravity and controlling thedelivery; The wheel is not essentially horizontal, but in instanceswhere the sand may be fed at an angle to the verticle the plane of thewheel may vary correspondingly to preserve a perpendicular relation tothe line of pressure. The blades of the wheel are radial and betweenthem pockets are formed extending through the wheel to the bottom of thebox. The bottom of the box is perforated to permit the passage of thesand through the wheel to the chute. A plowing or cutting surface isconstituted by the radial blades of the wheel, including the entire, ornearly the entire, cross sectional area of the sand, whereby the weightof the latter, or the major portion thereof, rests upon the saidplowing-surface, and is fed thereto by gravity.

My invention also embodies certain vari- Serial No. 380,218. (No model.)

ous novel features of improvement contributing to the operation of thedevice, such as willv be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevat on taken on the line mcof Fig.2,showinga portion of a street-car provided with my improved sand-box.Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, showing the bed-frame of the car, thefloor thereof being removed. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of Fig. 2, takenon theline-y 3 Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the line.2 2, Fig. 5, certain modifications of the form of box. shown in thefirst three figures being therein illustrated; Fig. 5, a horizontalsection of Fig. 4, taken on the line 00' cc, the wheel being removed;and Fig. 6, a plan view of the wheel adapted to thebox shown in Figs. 4ando. Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section of the box, illustratingfurther modifications; Flg. 8, a plan view of Fig. 7, the wheel beingremoved; Fig. 9, a plan view of the wheel separated from the box; andFig. 10, a vertical cross-section on the line 3 y of Fig. 7. Flg. 11 isan enlarged vertical section taken on the line z z of Fig. 12, showing afurther modification; Fig. 12, a horizontal section of Fig. 11, taken onthe line 00 00 and Fig. 13, a plan view of the wheel in Fig. 11 shownseparately.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, A represents the floor of the car; B,the platform; 0 (l, the bed-sills; and D, Fig. 3,the longitudinal seatswithin the car. E represents the track and F the truck-wheels, to whicheither motive power or brakes or both are applied. II is the sand-box 4attached to and extending through the floor of the car, being open atthe top. The sand-box II is preferably of cyl ndric form, whereby thecircular wheel coincidin g therewith occupies the entire cross-seetional area of the body of sand resting thereon. A similar-box ll isplaced upon either side of the car, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, andthese boxes may be filled by lifting the seats D or sections thereofhinged at (l. J J are chutes through which the loose sand gravitates insmall quantities after being delivered from the box. K is therotary-bladed wheel, represented throughout the views as occupying ahorizontal plane of rotation,or that substantially perpendicular to thepressure of the sand. The wheel K is pivoted upon the vertical shaft 7.,having supports at the top and bottom of the box, or in bearings othenwise suitably arranged. The wheel may be rotated by means of this shaft,or by means of a circular flange upon the wheel extending through thesides of the box provided with suitable gear-teeth.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 I illustrate a circular rack 0, having gear-tcethon its lower surface with which a pinion l) engages to drive the same.The box proper or cylinder II. is secured to the floor of the car, whilethe lower portion or funnel J of the chute J is supported in brackets j,attached beneath the floor, so that the upper and lower portions of thedevice, although separated by the peripheral projection of the wheel,remain rigid with reference to one another.

As one suitable means of producing and controlling the delivery of thesand, I have illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 a hand-crank c, mountedupon the shaft 0 located upon the dash-board of the car in a positionaccessible to the driver or other attendant. Rotation is transmittedthence to the shafts c 0, bearing the respective pinions b. The shaft 0rotates the shaft 0 through bevel-gears (Z, and the shaft 0" rotates theshaft c: through bevel-gears c.

As seen in plan view in Fig. 2 I have indicated spiral blades upon thewheel or those disposed at an angle to the radii, whereby when the saidwheel is rotated in the direction indicated by arrows a tendency to movethe sand from the center of the wheel toward its circumference or theposition having the greater range of motion is created. The same effectis also produced by raising the center of the wheel orgiving its uppersurface a cone shape or conoidal form, as indicated in Figs. 1, 4, 7,and 11.

Further details pertaining to the character of wheel illustrated in Fig.1 are more fully shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 0. It will be here observedthat I employ two outlets f in the bottom of box ll of sectoral formcorrespondwith the sectoral shape of the pockets 7' in the wheel betweenthe blades .5 thereof. A single opening f, however, may be employed, orany plurality thereof, without regard to shape or position, providedthey are located ecccntrically to the wheel.

In order to close the outlets to prevent the escape of sand when thewheelis at rest, I p rovide one or more covers g on the wheel or abridge L on the box, to be brought or located vertically coincident withthe outlet or outlets f. In order to confine the sand the stoppage ofthe wheel K in the construction of device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6,inclusive, is invariably etfected at the point of rotation at which thecovers or webs g are coincident with the outlets f. Such point ofrotation occurring simultaneously with the wheels on both sides of thecar is indicated by a suitaljilc dial and index i, Fig. 1, upon thecrank e or shaft there of visible to the operator. In order to preventthe rotation of the sand bodily within the cylindricbox when the wheel Kis turnedIprovide vertical parallel ridges jadj accnt thereto above thesame, having any suitable length, depth, or position whereby to permitthe vertical motion of the sand but oppose its 11011 zontal rotation. Inreference tothis function the radial walls L in Fig. 12 are to beregarded as the equivalent of the blades 7.

In Fig. 4 I illustrate a further feature of my invention, consisting indiverging the walls of the box from the top thereof toward the bottom,whereby a tendency is created to release the sand as it descends,especially when damp or congealed in a united mass. The pressure of theentire weight of the sand upon the wheel is thus insured.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 10 I illustrate a single openingf and a sector-shapedbridge overhanging a portion of the wheel above the said opening. Thebridge L prevents the escape of the sand from the box when the wheel Kis at rest irrespective of its position of stoppage, and to this end thecircumferential breadth of the bridge is made sufliciently in excess ofthat of the openingf to close the pockets 1' when above the outlet, asindicated in Fig. 1.0. In this instance the webs g in Fig. 6 mayobviously be omitted. The upper face of the bridge L is provided withinclined surfaces Z, as clearly seen in Fig. 10, designed to lift andpartially free the sand from the blades 3 as they pass under the bridge,contributing thereby to freedom of rotation. I also illustrate in Figs.7 to 10, inclusive, a modification in the construction of the box andwheel, whereby a convenient means of driving the latter is attained. Tothis end I provide a ring M, having an interior annular groove or recessinto which the rim 777 of the wheel projects, revolving freely therein,but forming a joint sufficiently tight to prevent the escape of sand.The rim m is toothed throughout its circumference, as 111- dicatcdbybroken lines in Fig. 9, and an opening a is provided at a suitableportion of said ring, within which a driving-pimon o engages with thesaid toothed rim to propel the wheel.

In Figs. 11, 12, and 13 I illustrate a sectoral bridge Ii, havinga-siniilar function to that shown in Fig. 7, and moreover provided withvertical walls L extending from the margins of the bridge upward to thetop of the box, whereby the mass of sand gravitates unobstructed betweenperfectly-parallel walls or walls diverging from the top toward thebottom of the box, as described with reference to Fig. 4. I also extendthe vertical walls above the bridge to cover the space vertically abovethe hub of the wheel, as indicated at. I. in Figs. 11 and 12, causingthe sand to rest entirely upon the effective plowing-surface of thewheel. The vertical walls L also serve to prevent the sand rotatingbodily with'the wheel. As seen in Fig. 13, the rim of the wheel isomitted, leaving the pockets r thereof open at the circumference, andthe chute J extends to a point opposite the circumference of the wheel,as indicated at 1), Fig. 1.1. Thus it will be seen that the sand may bedelivered through an opening or openings in the box located at anysuitable position in the lower portion thereof other than the bottom,provided such openin gs are below the level of the impinging surface ofthe wheel, whereby the sand shall'pass through the pockets between theblades to find its exit.

The wheels illustrated in Figs. 4. and 11 are designed to be driven bymeans of their shafts 7s by application of suitable gearing or rotatingmechanism. The upper edges of the wheel-blades are preferablyknife-shaped, so as to.plow or cut the body of sand impinging thereonwhen damp or caked by partial freezing and granulate it or grind it offpreparatory to delivery through the opening or openings f.

In operation the wheel K may be rotated in either direction with likeeffect, and, having the full area of its upper face or the major portionthereof exposed to the body of sand impinging thereon, the ridges of theblades plow through the material, filling the pockets of the wheel,which are discharged successively as they pass over the opening oropenings f.

In the absence of the bridge L the weight of the column of sand abovethe opening or openings f, when the same are exposed, assists ineffecting the discharge by direct pressure.

When a bridge constructed as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 10 is employed,its upper surface or ridge tends to oppose the rotation of the body ofsand, or while permitting it to rotate to a certain extent up and overthe inclined sides Z will constantly agitate and aid to break up themass when moved by the wheel.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a cylindric sand-box, a discharge-opening at ornear the bottom thereof, and a radially-bladed wheel equal in diameterto that of the box occupying a plane of rotation substantially atrightangles to the line of force exerted by the pressure of the sandintermediate between the same and the outlet.

2. The combination, with a sand-box provided with a perforated bottom,of a perforated wheel interposed between the bottom of the box and thebody of sand.

3. The combination, with a sand-box provided with a perforated bottom,of a perforated wheel occupying a plane of rotation substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of pressure of the sand andplowing-ridges upon the wheel impinging upon the sand.

4-. The combination of a sand -box provided with a perforated bottom anda perforated wheel occupying a plane of rotation substantially parallelto the bottom, provided with radiating cutting-ridges impinging upon thesand.

5. The combination of a sand-box, a gravityoutlet, a wheel interposedbetween'the body of sand and the outlet, having sectoral perforations,and a sectoral bridge above the outlet, for the purposes described.

6. The combinatioinwith a cylindric sandbox, of outlets at or near oneend thereof, aperforated wheel occupying a plane of rotationsubstantially perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, said wheelprovided with radial blades, and stationary blades or walls upon thecylinder parallel with the axis thereof, adjacent the wheel, for thepurposes described.

7. A sand-box of sectoral shape in crosssection provided with asubstantially horizontal bladed wheel fitting the arc of the sector andexposed to the pressure of the sand at the bottom of the box, and anoutlet beneath the portion of the wheel not included beneath the body ofsand, but divided therefrom between the Vertical planes of the radialwalls of the sectoral box, for the purposes described.

FREDERICK e. CORNING.

Witnesses;

M. J. SPENCER, WILLIs VAN VALKENBURGH.

